Let me be the first blogger to welcome you to 2014! Ok, maybe I am the last.
I have a perfect excuse though. My husband surprised me with an apple computer for Christmas. I was so excited to use it, I disconnected my old computer and connected the new shiny silver one. I sat down to start blogging and then…I had no idea how to even open the internet browser.
Of course, it took me 20 minutes 2 minutes to figure out how to open the browser but the rest was a new world for me. Basically, I have spent the last week getting acquainted with this computer and I know that I will love it, once I know how to use it.
About the blog…
I want to do something different this year with the blog. I want to go room by room, so that we can organize our entire home together. I didn’t want it to be a “challenge” where you feel pressure to keep up. We have enough pressure from other venues. Not here. Nothing “graceful” about pressure. I just want you to go at your pace and be inspired to start somewhere. In a few days, we will start with the kitchen and then move into the rest of the home.
2014! My biggest resolution this year is to be Present. I don’t want to be in a hamster wheel that keeps me from one event to the next, because I want to enjoy today.
I have two boys that still want to share every aspect of their days with me and I want to cherish that. I want to be more organized so that I can be more spontaneous. I want an organized kitchen so that I can be inspired to bake cookies and get flour everywhere with the boys. I want an organized closet so that I can put things away quickly and I can get back to the things that matter. I want more order so that I can enjoy the disorder. Does that make any sense?
Of course, this means that I have to say “no” a lot more than I am used to because I am, without a doubt, a people pleaser. I want to be liked, loved. Don’t we all want that? But when we say “yes” to too many things, we indirectly say “no” to others. I don’t want to say “no” to spending time with the boys, with my husband. I don’t want to say no to spending time with the Lord and even having some alone time.
And of course, spending time with my apple computer. I seriously need to YouTube some tutorials (as soon as I find the YouTube icon).
So my resolution is simple but difficult for me to execute. I want my focus to be on what I am saying “yes” to. I intend to make memories. I intend to take less pictures. Is that a shocker? It’s kind of crazy because I really see the importance of pictures, but I feel that I stay behind the camera way too much. I want to create the moments and not worry as much about documenting them. Here is one moment I had to document last week. The boys playing at the park and my little one, who insisted on wearing his dino pajamas at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
I want to let go of guilt. I always feel like I am not doing enough. For example, I scrapbook and I am always behind…like years behind. Will the kids not know how much I love them if I don’t have pictures of every missing tooth and a journal entry about it? Think about it. I have like 1 album for my entire childhood…zero journaling…and I feel loved.
We always notice people who seem to do more than us. I recently shared with a friend something that I read and impacted me. “We compare our behind-the-scenes with others’ highlight reel”. No one has it all. We all fall short somewhere. So you didn’t bake cookies with your kids this past Christmas. So what? There were lots of things that you did do. So you didn’t work out as much as you would have liked last year. Don’t let that disappointment keep you from believing in yourself this year.
One of my favorite bible stories is about Martha and Mary. Jesus and his disciples stay at Martha’s home and she is consumed by working on being a good hostess while Mary (her sister) sits at Jesus feet listening to what he was saying. Martha eventually complains that Mary is not helping her by saying “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” and Jesus replies…“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
When I first read that scripture I didn’t understand because I tend to be such a doer. I used to think that her sister should help her and that way she wouldn’t be so stressed out. But I was wrong. This is not a story about how being busy is bad. This is a story about priorities. Martha is not wrong for serving food, she is not wrong for being a good hostess, she is wrong for being worried and upset over trivial things. Her priority at that moment was incorrect.
If you have a choice between listening to words that feed your soul and arranging food perfectly on a platter….well…Mary certainly chose the better part.
So I want to remind myself to be more like Mary.
I will not eliminate taking pictures, or journaling, scrapbooking, cooking big meals or any other thoughtful thing that I do for my family and friends to show love. I do want to eliminate the guilt. The little voice that always says that I am not doing enough. I will never be able to do it all, all the time.
I want to put the serving platter down and sit down and listen. I want to be present. I want to choose the better part.
And I wish the same for you!
Maria
The post Enjoying the Better Part appeared first on Graceful Order.
